Al-Qaeda captures major airport, sea port and oil terminal in Yemen

#alqaeda #yemen #mukalla #riyan As per latest reports, the Al Qaida has seized control of a major airport, sea port and oil terminal in southern Yemen today and, thereby, consolidated its hold on the country's largest province. This development has come amid wider chaos that have pitted Shiite rebels against forces loyal to the exiled president and a Saudi-led air campaign as reported in dailymail.co.uk dated 16 April 2015.

Military officials and residents have revealed that Al Qaida fighters had clashed briefly with members of one of Yemen's largest brigades outside Mukalla. This is a city that the Al Qaeda militants had overrun earlier this month and from where they had set free many prisoners.
The militants subsequently seized control of the Riyan airport and proceeded to secure their hold on the city's main sea port, which is also an oil terminal. Incidentally, the leaders of the brigade who were in charge of protecting the entire area fled.
These latest advance are seen as a major gain for Al Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula – this is the name of the Yemeni affiliate.
The death toll in violence in Yemen, as recodrd by U.N. Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights is at least 364 civilians including at least 84 children and 25 women. This is in addition to hundreds of fighters killed. The deaths of civilians are of those killed since the start of the airstrikes at the end of March.

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